February 28, 2018 Issue

Page 1

n

Women’s volleyball wins big page 9

DMZ named top global incubator page 3

yersonian R WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

ryersonian.ca Volume 72 Number 16

Produced by the Ryerson School of Journalism

Rye teams up with Indian entrepreneurs

RYERSONIAN

It is about her picking up her broken pieces and completely reinventing herself.

” Ryerson fashion

AMANDA SKRABUCHA | RYERSONIAN

Rye grad hits the big stage. See story on page 8 What’s online Check out ryersonian.ca to read Toronto Star journalist Martin Regg Cohn’s take on a campus meeting of provincial party leaders ahead of the June election

Zone Startups, which is funded by the business accelerator Ryerson Futures Inc. (RFI), will select its first group of women entrepreneurs to participate in the exchange in November of 2018, with the second round taking place in the fall of 2019, according to a press release. The exchange is designed to “encourage women entrepreneurs” and give them a gateway into international markets, Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi said. The Canadian startups will work out of floors 17 and 18 in the Bombay Stock Exchange, he added. The government of India’s Department of Science and Technology will choose the Indian startups that will come to Toronto.

SWIKAR OLI

Listen

Ryerson’s startup accelerator has received half a million dollars from both the Canadian and Indian governments to give women entrepreneurs a gateway into international markets. The money will go towards an exchange program of 20 women-led software startups from each of the two countries. “The women leading these startups will benefit from access to mentors and advisers, invitations to local startup events, and meetings with Indian and Canadian government officials to learn about the process of setting up and running a business in their host country,” the government of Canada stated in a release.

Please see INDIA page 5

Watch Morning Update

weekdays at 10 a.m. on CJRU And subscribe to the podcast

Ryersonian This Week on iTunes and Google Play

Morning Update weekdays at 10 a.m.

Ryersonian This Week Fridays at noon

Available on Facebook Live, ryersonian.ca, and on screens throughout the RCC


an 2

R yersonian

Another set of unidentified remains

News

ryersonian.ca Wednesday, February 28, 2018

RSU ELECTIONS

Votes down from 2017 MIRIAM VALDES-CARLETTI RYERSONIAN

Voter turnout for the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) 2018-2019 elections dropped compared to last year. Overall voting for the executive committee dropped 19.64 per cent, with a total of 24,451 votes cast, in comparison to 30,427 votes last year. Susanne Nyaga, the current president of the RSU, who lost to Ram Ganesh by 2,029 votes, said before the election she had thought that if she were to lose, she wouldn’t have expected the difference in votes to be so high. RSU’s president-elect Ganesh, who ran on the Unify slate, said that while he expected to win, he didn’t think his margin of victory would be so big. Nyaga also blames “dirty politics” as one of the reasons for a lower voter turnout. “I think voter turnout drops when campaigning is more about tearing your opponent down than building your team up. I’m sure students got frustrated with the dirty politics and just chose not to engage,” she said. CRO Amir Deer is currently

investigating claims of improper campaigning, but has yet to make a report. There have been complaints about campaigners from all three parties illegally pressuring students to vote for them. In 2017, there were six presidential candidates running in the RSU elections, while this year there were only three. Ganesh said since there were more people running, there were more votes cast. As for the loss, Nyaga said that you cannot reach all 40,000 students and that the loss was not due to lack of effort. “I can’t really tell you why (we lost) but it did come as a shock as I continuously received positive feedback throughout the campaign,” she said. Ganesh said he believes that Unify won because students connected with the slate’s messaging. Unify had 150 volunteers who campaigned with them. “We consulted a very large number of students before we created our platform points, and aim to solve real problems,” Ganesh said.

CHELSEA LECCE | RYERSONIAN

SWIKAR OLI | RYERSONIAN

The Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex (DCHSC) under construction on Church Street.

CONSTRUCTION

Residence delay SWIKAR OLI RYERSONIAN

The Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex (DCHSC) will open in the fall of 2018 as planned, but its residences won’t be ready to accommodate the first full group of students until the summer of 2019. “The residence tower has been delayed due to weather and approval delays and will be finished December 2018,” Ryerson public affairs said via email. Some rooms will be available as early as January, as well as for summer residence and conference housing. Students will begin moving in for the 2019-2020 school year in late August. The residence will accommodate 332 students in 100 units across 18 floors, according to the Ryerson website. DCHSC has 33 floors, including four that are underground, covering a total 332,604 square feet of floor space. Basement levels two through four include 155 parking spots, while the lower level one has space for 184 bicycles.

Four schools out of Ryerson’s Faculty of Community Services will hold classes in DCHSC: nursing, occupational health and safety, nutrition and midwifery. Some students enrolled in the collaborative nursing program between George Brown College and Ryerson will also have classes in the building. According to public affairs, other features of the building include: · Level 1 - food services, ‘flat’ classroom and main open space · Level 2 - tiered classrooms, group study rooms and informal study spaces · Level 3 - school of occupational and public health, classrooms, student union and informal study · Level 4 - nursing labs, teaching and practical scenario rooms, shared clinical examination room, nursing and midwifery spaces · Level 5 - school of nursing offices and administrative work space, student lounge space, graduate space and study space · Level 6 - school of nutrition and midwifery offices, food labs,

a demonstration kitchen and classrooms · Level 7 - shared meeting rooms, research and administrative offices · Level 8 - green roof, graduate spaces and student housing main entrance and support space · Level 10 to Level 27 - student residences The building also has elements that make it more sustainable, such as a green roof on the eighth floor for farming and a water collection system that uses “grey water” from showers and sinks to flush toilets, which reduces water use, “by millions of litres per year,” it said in the email. The DCHSC, which was first announced in the fall of 2013, began construction in late 2015. The estimated cost of the building is $80 million, of which the Ontario government provided a $56.4-million grant, while Ryerson covered the rest, the email states. “Perhaps the most exciting feature of this building is the multifunctionality of this hub,” public affairs wrote in the email.


R yersonian

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

News 3 4

onian

New zone in Vietnam NOELLA OVID RYERSONIAN

Ryerson Futures Inc. (RFI) is partnering with VinaCapital and independent investors Tin Nguyen and Cong Phan to launch a new startup accelerator program in Vietnam. RFI runs accelerator programs for businesses under Zone Startups. Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi said this is an opportunity for Ryerson to expand its footprint in terms of innovation and entrepreneurship in Asia. “Vietnam is a very emerging market with a lot of potential. We signed an agreement with some local entrepreneurs there to establish a new zone at no cost for Ryerson so basically it’s a win-win situation for us. For them, they want to access the expertise that we have, for us it’s also to enhance our reputation in Asia,” he said. Zone Startups Vietnam will be opening in Ho Chi Minh City this spring and aims to accept its first cohort of companies in the third quarter of this year.

“I’m very excited to join Zone Startups Vietnam as a partner and investor,” Phan said in a press release. “I believe the startup ecosystem in Vietnam will greatly benefit from an international accelerator program focused on assisting startups and market validation and customer acquisition.” The program will be an extension of RIF and it will follow current Zone Startups programs. “We’re excited to expand and grow the Zone Startups network in Ho Chi Minh,” said Matthew Saunders, Zone Startups president, in a press release. “Vietnam is full of entrepreneurial spirit and potential, and we’re thrilled to launch our program and provide the tools, resources, and network needed for these talented founders to succeed.” Companies accepted into the program will have access to mentors, networking opportunities and fundraising strategies. The announcement for the program was made on Feb. 20 at Zone Startups India in Mumbai, which is also in a partnership with RFI.

COURTESY JAM MICHAEL MCDONALD

President Mohamed Lachemi at the launch event at Zone Startups India in Mumbai.

DMZ ranked top incubator in the world AMANDA WOODROW RYERSONIAN

Ryerson’s Digital Media Zone (DMZ) has claimed top spot in a world ranking of

university-managed technology incubators. These rankings were announced by UBI Global, a Stockholm-based research and advisory firm best known for its regional and global studies

in evaluating global business incubation. Ryerson tied for first place out of 200 programs in its category with a U.K. based firm. According to Abdullah Snobar, executive director of the DMZ,

AMANDA WOODROW | RYERSONIAN

The Digital Media Zone (DMZ) at Ryerson University.

this gives Ryerson the opportunity to make a mark on the international stage, and it is an accomplishment that deserves recognition and continued commitment. “At the DMZ, we understand that economic vitality is fuelled by growth-driven incubation and acceleration programs that accelerate the success of the next generation of innovative businesses and prepare them for global expansion,” Snobar said. According to its press release, UBI Global defines a top university-linked incubation program as “a business incubator or accelerator connected to an institution of higher education that achieves outstanding impact and performance relative to its global peers.” UBI Global assessed hundreds of programs from over 50 countries and looked at factors of each incubator, including the funding raised by startups, the total number of jobs created and the strength and survival rate of each company. Based on these criteria, Ryerson’s DMZ outperformed its

global competition in its innovation ecosystem in client startups and the program’s overall appeal to participants. “The UBI ranking is helping us better understand ways to push boundaries in order to create impact, not just for our entrepreneurs, but also for our country’s contribution to the global startup ecosystem,” said Snobar. The DMZ is well-known for supporting Canadian technology startups, like The Rumie Initiative (a social innovation startup), 500PX (a photography startup), LifeTales (a marketing and analytics startup) and FormHero (a finance and commerce startup). Since 2010, the DMZ has incubated an estimated 300 startups, raised nearly $400 million and created over 3,000 jobs. In the 2015 rankings, the DMZ came in third place. Other Canadian university incubator programs in the ranking are based out of McGill University and the University of Toronto. @ajourn_kate


44 Advertisement

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

yersonian

R yersonian


R yersonian

News 5 4

onian

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

GET YOUR MESSAGE IN FRONT OF THE RYERSON COMMUNITY TODAY!

R yersonian

.ca

WEB ADS AVAILABLE!

� 72,000 AVERAGE PAGE VIEWS PER MONTH � 178,000 UNIQUE VISITORS PER YEAR

INDIA cont’d...

Zone startups get access to markets “We will connect these founders with potential customers aiming to give them the best chance at gaining market traction in Canada,” said Matt Saunders, president of RFI and Zone Startups. Ryerson’s media release said Zone Startups India would “provide access to their network of customers.” As well, the Zone Startups program will offer “intensive twoday seminars in both Toronto and Mumbai for 30 additional firms

FREE FACIAL

EMAIL: ads.ryersonian@ryerson.ca for more info!

(with product) Acne, Acne Scars Dry & Oily Skin Free 15 min Electrolysis/ Laser

that are interested in collaboration between the two countries,” according to the government of Canada. This will benefit an additional 60 firms in both countries over two years, they wrote. “We cannot ignore half of our world’s population as we strive to find solutions to the problems of today and create the jobs of tomorrow,” said Navdeep Bains, Canada’s Innovation Minister. @swisscurls

Yonge & Beautiful Cosmetic Clinic 384 Yonge Street, Unit 8 At Aura Shopping Yonge/Gerrard 416-921-2512

bestbeautydeal@hotmail.com

victoryskincare.com

KA 819 #824202

Summer Housing now available for group & individual reservations! Contact the office to secure your space before it’s too late. &

@ ParksideStudentResidence

APPLY @ LIVE-PARKSIDE.COM ·

Walk or bike to class at Ryerson University

·

Private bedrooms & bathrooms

·

Fully furnished suites

·

24-hour, state-of-the-art fitness centre

·

Group & private study lounges

·

Recreation centre with billiards & arcade games

·

Garage parking available

·

Internet included in every suite

·

Individual liability leases & roommate matching available

Amenities & utilities included are subject to change. Limited time only. See office for details.


R yers An inclusive face in fashion 6

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Features yersonian

Ryerson alumna, Shahad Mahdi, is making Muslim representation mainstream.

COURTESY CLIFTON LI

ZEINAB SAIDOUN RYERSONIAN

Shahad Mahdi grew up believing that she was an artist, always wanting to draw, paint and start her own business. But as a Middle Eastern, Muslim woman, the mainstream media was not what she saw in the mirror. So that’s when she put her talents to work.

Mahdi is the woman behind Black Orchid, a clothing and accessories brand that aims to portray positive Muslim and ethnic representation. Her company bloomed in 2015 while she was working tirelessly at Ryerson’s Fashion Zone. The Fashion Zone allowed her to bring her ideas to life with the support and mentorship of experts and advisers. Henry Navarro Delgado, an assistant professor at the Ryerson School of Fashion and an expert on fashion and social issues, says the Fashion Zone provides great opportunities

for collaborative practices. “It is no wonder that many of the companies hosted by the Fashion Zone have a social responsibility aspect to them,” he said. Mahdi said that the resources available on campus are great, but students are often threatened by money. “They think they need a set amount of money to start something, but it’s not about the money,” said Mahdi. “The money will come when you put in work and you have a vision. If you have a vision, just do.”


sonian

Features

The money will come when you put in work and you have a vision. If you have a vision, just do.

— Shahad Mahdi In her case, the vision was a lack of representation. “I found a need for positive Muslim and ethnic representation and I acted on it in a cute and fun way,” said Mahdi. “I just think it’s important because younger Muslim girls never see themselves in the media as much.” Today, the line offers many different products, such as sweaters, jackets, backpacks, pouches, phone cases and more. The graphics on the products are simple, making it easier for women to relate to them. The women shown in the graphics have round faces, defined eyebrows, long lashes and fuller lips. Although they have the same features, they have many different skin tones and accessories making them unique characters. They also wear hijabs, a modest image Mahdi works towards making more mainstream. She acknowledges the change the media has seen in terms of the visibility of the hijab. “People wanted to see themselves out there and I think they felt happy and a bit emotional to see images that kind of looked like them on clothes or out there on ads,” she said. But lately, modest fashion has become a more common image than it was in the past. “Modest fashion designers are on the runways in New York and Paris. Modest fashion weeks are happening all over the world in almost every month of the year,” said Romana Mirza, a Ryerson master’s student in fashion, and senior researcher at the Islamic Fashion and Design Council in Dubai (IFDC). She added that modest fashion and representation is a movement to the people passionate about it, even if it’s not yet at the same scale as movements like feminism and civil rights. Mirza also stresses the importance of women fighting for their rights just like those who came before them. “We have to be ready to exert our right to choose. Just as women in the mid-20th century did with their rights to wear pants, for goodness sake,” Mirza said. “We should have the right to wear a scarf on our head, not just around our necks.” Now, Mahdi has taken her local Toronto company worldwide. Black Orchid products are available in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Dubai. Buyers are able to order online and get the product anywhere in the world.

ZEINAB SAIDOUN | RYERSONIAN

Above and below are a variety of products designed by Shahad Mahdi.

@zeinabsaidoun

For a video interview with Shahad Mahdi, visit ryersonian.ca

ZEINAB SAIDOUN | RYERSONIAN

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

7


an 8

R yersonian

Arts & Life

Tashin the Good ryersonian.ca Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Ryerson on the runway AMANDA SKRABUCHA RYERSONIAN

Ryerson grad Mani Jassal made her Toronto Fashion Week debut this season, taking outfits from her latest evening and bridal line to the runway. For her latest collection, The Garden of Desire | Erised, Jassal took inspiration from India and a true narrative written by transformational coach Raz Soos, who helps people better themselves and their lives. The narrative describes the journey of a young woman finding self-love through brokenness, and self-realization through the reflection of another. “It is about her picking up her broken pieces and completely reinventing herself,” explains Jassal. “A story where an act of vulnerability, a leap of faith, and a journey inward that gives rise to her most beautiful self, ultimately coming into who she was searching for all along,” she said. “This tale transcends into the collection through the fabrics, prints, embroidery and colours to create a collection that empowers women to love themselves.” In her latest collection, Jassal displays both floral and geometric prints through embroidery, lace and prints. Jassal incorporates a variety of unique fabrics that combine pattern, intricate surface detailing and colour. Raw silk is used throughout many of the outfits alongside cotton, organza, chiffon, various laces, embroidered tulle, ruffle detailing, mirror decals, pleating, beading, glass tassels and sequins.

AMANDA SKRABUCHA | RYERSONIAN


n

R yersonian

Sports

Read more

9

Sports online ryersonian.ca Wednesday, February 28, 2018

VOLLEYBALL

First perfect season since 1959 Women’s volleyball is the first varsity team to win all regular season games in 59 years.

COURTESY ALEX D’ADDESE

Above and left, the Rams compete against the Nipissing Lakers on Jan. 21.

COURTESY ALEX D’ADDESE

SAMANTHA CUMERLATO RYERSONIAN

After their win against the Nipissing Lakers Sunday night, the Ryerson women’s volleyball team became the first varsity team to achieve an undefeated regular season since 1959. Despite the Rams’ rocky start to their last regular season game in North Bay on Sunday, losing the first set 27-19, they weren’t deterred. They came back to win the next three sets of the match, leaving with a season record of 19 wins and 0 losses. The women fought hard, ending the last set with a lead of 25-15. Outside hitter Cailin Wark led the scoring with 18 points for

the Rams, and middle blocker Theanna Vernon ended the game with 13 kills on 22 attempts. It was a high stakes game for the team, with the Lakers fighting to secure a playoff spot. Head coach Dustin Reid said one of the team’s strengths in the game against the Lakers, and in the season as a whole, is their ability to remain calm under pressure and bounce back while on the court. “Just saving the composure to keep going, keep competing, not worrying so much about what the result is going to mean. Get ourselves back in the match,” he said. “Ultimately we played our best volleyball at the end of the match.” Wark agrees that the “team has such good culture and that’s really played into how well we’ve

been doing. There’s never a time when we’re on the court where we’re super stressed. Everyone always works together and has each other’s backs.” This is the first time a Ryerson varsity team has managed a perfect record in the regular season since the men’s hockey team in their 1958-59 season. “We knew that we were going to be one of the first teams in a long time to have an undefeated regular season, but we didn’t know exactly how long ago that was,” said Wark. “I think that was kind of like a goal for us this season.” Ultimately though, the team’s focus was less about the record and more about focusing on each match and playing their best

game. With the regular season behind them, Reid says their perfect record won’t be worth much going into the playoffs. “The regular season and the playoffs are very different. The intensity level is different, the level of preparation that the teams go through is different, the winner of the matches in the playoffs comes down more to who handles the stress and who handles the emotions and ups and downs of the match the best, and who executes the best in the most important times,” he said. Setter Haroula Giovanopoulous said in an email that regardless of the team’s success so far, they’re not taking anything for granted going into the playoffs. “As soon as playoff season starts,

every team holds the same 0-0 record, and every team is just as hungry with the ‘win, survive and move onto the next game’ mentality,” she said. The team is especially excited to be playing its first playoff game at home, Giovanopoulous said. The women’s volleyball team is not the only varsity team with playoffs ahead. The men’s volleyball team will be playing its OUA quarterfinal game on March 3 against Waterloo at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC), despite losing to the Lakers on Sunday. The men’s basketball team will also be advancing to the OUA semifinals after its quarterfinal win in Ottawa. The team will face the Brock Badgers in St. Catharines on Feb. 28. As for the women, they’ll be facing the Waterloo Warriors at the MAC in their quarterfinal match on March 3. @SamCumerlato


an 10

R yersonian

Editorial

Read more Opinions online ryersonian.ca Wednesday, February 28, 2018

EDITORIAL

Group work needs to stop Group work. The most controversial and passionate argument you’ll hear from students. No matter the program or the year of study, everyone who attends Ryerson University has come across the dreadful headache of completing an assignment that is most likely worth more than an actual research paper. Someone please explain why group work still exists in university. It was OK when we were in elementary school because we looked forward to shooting looks across the classroom to our friends when the teacher announced for us to make groups for a project. It was fun for the most part. All we had to do was pull out our markers and glue and paste all of our blown-up and pixelated images and cut-out printed documents to a bright coloured bristol board and call it a job well done. It was all fun except for that one individual who ended up having to complete most of the work because they either took it upon themselves to be the master brain behind it all, or no one else was reliable. Somehow these same problems centred on group work still exist in university. You would think that people who are living away from their parents, working jobs and adulting would be in some sense reliable, responsible and equally interested in passing the class. Unfortunately it doesn’t always go that way. How does the group work requirements get divided equally the day the assignment is assigned, but end up being scrambled together by one or two people the night before? There are students who are working endless nights so they can afford tuition to attend this class. Then they find themselves panicking to get

the work done on behalf of all the members, while the others are sleeping peacefully or enjoying their social life. If professors are going to put the faith of our grades in the hands of other people that we don’t even know the names of, or how they are as students, then we shouldn’t have to pay a full course fee. We don’t pay group tuition and we are not here so Ryerson can force us to depend on others for our education. We all understand that the real world requires us to work for and with others. For now, we are paying to learn the knowledge for our desired field, so that we can pull our weight on the team. Everyone learns differently. We are all at different levels in the course, yet our averages are at stake because of these group marks. Many students have voiced their opinions about group work and in most cases, how it was a complete disaster of an experience. Yet each semester we continue to walk into courses that state a group assignment in the syllabus. Oftentimes, students are taking to student-member Facebook groups to post a desperate outcry for someone in their course to work with. On top of all this, we now have to force our group to make time in their schedule to meet and discuss. We all know commuters hate commuting on days they don’t need to, and it is super rare to find another student with a similar class schedule. Ryerson should be providing us with an individual educational experience because, at the end of the day, we are showing up to school for ourselves and the hopes of achieving a desired successful future.

AUGUSTINE NG | RYERSONIAN

OPINION

Sexual comments are no joke JESSICA VALENY RYERSONIAN

It’s Friday night and you’re at a party having a friendly conversation with another partygoer. Without warning, he leans over and whispers in your ear about how you two should find a room and “get to know each other.” Repulsed and aghast, you take a step back to assert yourself. Why would this person you barely know think it’s OK to make a suggestive pass at you? He puts his hand up defensively. Suddenly, a face once full of intent turns into a look of shock and amazement at your response. “Whoa, relax sweetie. Can’t you take a joke?” His apparent innocence makes you question yourself. Are you overreacting? Did you

misinterpret the situation? It feels like you’re suddenly the guilty party here, despite knowing otherwise. It’s a situation I’ve been in more times than I can remember. The truth is, small instances like this do nothing to encourage basic respect towards women. Rather, they silence women by making it seem like this belittling attitude is something we should tolerate. Fourth-year sociology student Corrina Santos says women are often groomed to tolerate this behaviour and expect it as a means of affirmation. “Media taught me as a child that catcalling or inappropriate remarks were acceptable and perhaps even desirable,” Santos said. “They made me feel good about myself and boosted my confidence. Now that I’ve become more aware of the context of these comments, I feel extremely offended and violated.” Tolerating this behaviour only normalizes what is not acceptable. In fact, Natalie Portman didn’t even realize how many times she had experienced sexual harassment at work because of how common and normal it became. To me, this is just a microcosm of a much larger problem. When

we make it acceptable to say these offensive comments, we perpetuate an attitude that contributes to the oppression of women. If you need proof, just watch the news. Since the New York Times reported the accusations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in October, a wave of allegations have come to light against varying public figures. And whether they are accused of assault or of making a stupid comment, I couldn’t help but wonder why the list of accused kept growing. If you ask me, grooming society to accept a social construct that shames women for speaking out when they feel disrespected and uncomfortable is a root problem. “The moment we let one instance go is the moment we stop caring because it’s ‘no big deal,’” says Santos. “This teaches both men and women to tolerate or normalize sexual harassment because it’s part of life. If we want to correct this behaviour, we need to understand basic respect. If we ever want to see society progress it’s time to take accountability for what we say. It’s time to have some class. @jessicavaleny


n

R yersonian

Voices

11

Read more Voices online ryersonian.ca Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Say my name right, please ‘My four-letter name has confused more people than I could ever count’

I’m tired of having to correct Ask any second-generation because those were both common everyone I meet and giving them immigrant kid and they’ll have at Arabic female names. Heck – I’ve RYERSONIAN even been called Nidaal, an Ara- the ‘No-it’s-Nida-not-Niyda’ spiel. least 10 stories about a substitute bic male name, at various points I mean, there are only so many teacher butchering their name. in my youth. It And I also didn’t help know I don’t that my mom have it bad. had given me a The Tsuyoshis There are only so many times you bowl cut at the and Laxminatime. rayana of the can politely correct someone without Somewhere world have getting frustrated with them for their along the line I it way worse inability to pronounce four letters. moved to Canthan me. Seriada and an ously, I symexasp erate d pathize with elementar y you guys and teacher gave up I’m sorry for My name is four letters and on trying to pronounce my name times you can politely correct everything you’ve ever gone two syllables long. By all means, and we settled on ‘Needa.’ Was someone without getting frus- through. People of colour who have ethit’s not difficult to pronounce. that much better? I’m not sure. trated with them for their inabilnic-sounding names definitely There are only so many ways you Trust me when I say that I’ve ity to pronounce four letters. “Neigh-da, right? Nice to meet have it a lot harder when it comes could say it. Yet in my 22 years of heard my fair share of ‘Need-ayou.” to getting people to pronounce life, I have heard every single pos- life’ jokes. “Its Nidh-a.” Now where, you may ask, does their name correctly. In fact, a lot sible variation of it. From Na-da to “Nidea, right, I’m sorry.” of people just opt to have a white Niy-da to Na-dia, my four-letter one get Needa from Nidh-a? “No, it’s Nidh-ah.” It wasn’t a question of not nickname to make things easier. name has confused more people “Naida?” learning to stand up for myself Mohammad becomes Moe, than I could ever count. “Yup. You got it.” Jaspreet becomes Jas and so on. When I was a kid growing up and fighting for my name. It was This is definitely not a conver- While there’s nothing wrong with in Saudi Arabia, it was a constant simply a question I was tired of sation only I have experienced. choosing to go by a short version battle between Nadia or Nada answering. of your name, it’s another thing to have that decision made for you by someone who can’t be bothered to learn it in the first place. On the other hand, it’s also reasonable for people who are non-native speakers to have difficulty pronouncing names in a different language. There are obviously phonetic and linguistic differences when it comes to pronouncing names.. I am in no way suggesting that everyone should be able to say my name the way it’s meant to be said in Arabic. However, making the effort to ask me how it’s meant to be pronounced makes a big difference. So, I’ve decided to make it easier for all of you non-native AraHARLEEN SIDHU | RYERSONIAN bic or Urdu speakers out there. I know how difficult it is for you to Nida Omar with a name tag for an event. She sometimes contemplates putting a different name to avoid correcting others. say my name, despite your ability to pronounce names like Joaquin NIDA OMAR

FLICKR | INTERNET ARCHIVE BOOK

Pressing the tip of the tongue against the hard palate behind the front teeth, produces the Arabic letter ‘Dal.’

and Yvonne, but that’s OK. Here’s a guide to pronouncing my name: Now the ‘Ni’ part is fine. It’s the ‘da’ part where people usually have the most trouble. The letter ‘D’ in my name comes from the letter ‘Dal’ in Arabic and it sounds somewhat like the letter ‘D’ in English, except it’s much softer. So, pronounce ‘D’ and check where your tongue hits the top of your mouth. Now instead of hitting it there, hit your tongue closer to your front teeth. Put that together and you’ll get Nidh-ah. If you’ve managed to make it this far, congratulations – you’ve mastered the art of saying a name that thousands of people on the subcontinent of South Asia (probably) share. If you’re still stuck, however, I suggest watching and learning through instructional videos available online. @nidaomar


12

an

R yersonian

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Campus Connection

Campus Comment

Full story available at Ryersonian.ca

What’s the strangest thing you’ve experienced on campus?

“A random guy kept coming into our lecture at the movie theatre literally every week.”

Amanda Scaramuzzo

“A guy came to our class wearing a white suit and a boombox and started dancing infront of the class. He yelled, ‘hell yeah,’ and left.”

– Michael Capolongo

AUGUSTINE NG | RYERSONIAN

Ridiculous prices, awkward photos

“A homeless guy was rocking out for hours at one of the frosh concerts in Lake Devo.”

For the few thousand students graduating from Ryerson this spring, there’s a lot to worry about. Starting to pay off OSAP, finding a job, figuring out life — oh, and grad photos. A $25 sitting fee and a few hundred dollars later, students can expect some awkwardly posed photos of themselves in a goofy hat and a diploma. Online this week, the Ryersonian’s Zeinab Saidoun takes a look at ridiculous grad photo prices and suggests a hack to save you some money.

Newsroom Manager Trevor Hewitt

Managing Editors Engagement

Managing Editor Print

Kathleen Francisco Jessica Valeny

Jack Hopkins

Managing Editors Digital Miriam Valdes-Carletti Ashley Puch

Managing Editor Video Zeinab Saidoun

Managing Editor Audio Sawyer Bogdan

News Editors Noella Ovid Jack Hopkins

Features Editors Adriana Parente Maddie Binning

Video Producer Kayla Paixao

Audio Producer

Arts & Life Editors

Sports Editor Anders Marshall

Op-Ed Editor Chelsea Lecce

Feb. 28: Student Engagement in Large Lectures 12 - 2 p.m. POD 372 Feb. 28: How to review for mid-term exams 4 - 5 p.m. Library Building - 549 Mar. 1: Off-Campus Housing Fair 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. POD 60 Lounge Mar. 1: Oakham House Choir: Singsation Sing-Along 6 - 8 p.m. Oakham House - 2nd floor

– Hannah Pybeus

Rachel Arhin Trevor Hewitt Sam Staples

Events

Copy Editors Samantha Cumerlato Melissa Verge

Photo & Graphic Editors Augustine Ng Anna Cianni Amanda Skrabucha

Reporters Amanda Woodrow Jenna Miguel Nida Omar Olivia Maeder Prescylla Mizinga Rasha Rehman Swikar Oli

Instructors Peter Bakogeorge Sonya Fatah

Publisher Janice Neil

Ad Sales Support Julia Dodge

Production Co-ordinator/Ad Sales Steven Goetz 416-979-5000 ext. 7424

Contact Us We would like to hear from you. Please include your name, program and year. Unsigned letters will not be published. We reserve the right to edit letters for length. Ryerson University 80 Gould Street Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3 Newsroom: 416-979-5323 Email: sonian@ryerson.ca

Ryersonian.ca @TheRyersonian TheRyersonian @theryersonian The Ryersonian


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.